


Worth The Wait

by cloudyskiesandcurlyfries



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek comes back to Beacon Hills, M/M, The pack goes camping, slow burn kinda, the pack is in college so future fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 18:20:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6621298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudyskiesandcurlyfries/pseuds/cloudyskiesandcurlyfries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek goes back to Beacon Hills. The pack is strong and stable and Stiles and Derek rediscover old feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth The Wait

**Author's Note:**

> for [Charlie](http://www.hoechlbutt.tumblr.com/)  
> , my wonderful friend who likes slow burn Sterek. hope you enjoy this buddy :) 
> 
> no beta so all mistakes are my own

Stiles was enjoying life after high school. There were significantly less supernatural creatures trying to kill them and it was just nice. The pack was stronger and working together better than ever. 

Stiles was also enjoying college. He opted to stay close to home and attend Beacon Hills Community College. He couldn’t bear to be far from his dad and he just needed an associate’s degree before he could enroll at the police academy anyways. 

Stiles was watching tv one day when the doorbell rang. He got up slowly, not really sure who would be at his door at 11am on a Tuesday. Most of the pack was at work or in class right now so he didn’t know it could be. 

Stiles opened the door only to find Derek standing on his front porch looking even hotter than before. 

“Derek. Hi. Um what are you uh- why are you here?”

“Hi Stiles. I’m moving back to town so I figured I’d make my rounds and say hi to the pack. I know I’m not really part of this pack anymore but I wanted you guys to know I was back and I’m here if you need help or anything.”

Derek turned to leave and Stiles stood there trying to process the fact that Derek was back and he didn’t have a chance to stop him. 

Later that week at the weekly pack meeting/hangout, the whole pack was excitedly talking about Derek’s return. 

“So guys I know I’m alpha and it’s really my choice to make alone but I wanted your input. I was thinking of asking Derek to officially join the pack,” Scott said, a smile on his face. 

The entire pack erupted into cheers. They all loved and missed Derek so much and they definitely wanted him back. Stiles had a small smile on his face. He was happy Derek was back. Before Derek left he thought that they almost had something but then Mexico happened and Derek left and Stiles didn’t want to stop him. 

Derek needed out of Beacon Hills and Stiles wasn’t going to be selfish and ask him to stay. Maybe this would be their second chance. 

Stiles got a text from Scott a few days later. 

From Scott: Derek said yes. He’s officially part of the pack. I was thinking we could do a big barbecue this weekend to celebrate. 

Stiles wanted to reach out to Derek and rekindle their friendship so he got in his car and drove down to the old loft. He wasn’t sure if Derek was still there or if he decided to stay somewhere else but he figured it was worth a shot.  
He pulled into the loft’s parking lot and saw the Camaro sitting there. He let out a sigh of relief and made his way to the front door. He walked up the stairs and to Derek’s door only to find it already open, Derek leaning against it and waiting for him. 

“Hi.”

“Hi Stiles.”

Stiles didn’t know what to say next so he just launched himself towards Derek and hugged him tight. Derek’s arms wrapped around Stiles, holding him close. 

“I missed you so much Derek. I was so scared after you left that you’d never come back and I’d never see you again. And I was so afraid to call or text because I knew you’d come running back and I couldn’t let you but now you’re back and it’s on your own terms and I’m just so happy your back.”

“Me too. Me too.”

Stiles went inside and Derek went to make them some coffee. They sat in comfortable silence while they drank their coffee. Neither of them really knew what to say to each other. Stiles didn’t want to scare Derek away or get him to shut down again. He wasn’t sure how this was supposed to go. 

“Ok anyways. I just wanted to say hi. But thanks for the coffee. And I’ll see you this weekend at the barbecue.” Stiles awkwardly made his way out of the loft and back down to his car. 

He was around Derek for 15 minutes and he was like a little kid with a crush. He was happy and nervous, scared and excited. He wanted to hold Derek’s hand and curl up next to him. But he didn’t. He wasn’t even sure if Derek still left the same way as before. They were becoming close friends and there was a hint at something more but before they could explore it, Derek was kidnapped. 

Stiles went home and tried his best not to think about it, instead focusing his extra energy on finishing a huge term paper he had due in 3 days. Before he knew it, it was the weekend and the day of the barbecue. 

The barbecue was being held as his house so he got up early on Saturday morning to clean the house and get ready for the night. He wasn’t expecting anyone until 5pm so when he heard the doorbell ring at 3pm, he was panicking. The house wasn’t ready at all and he was stressed. 

He made his way to the door to find Derek there again. 

“Hi Derek um you’re early?”

“Yeah I know. I figured that if I knew you as well as I though I did, you’d be stressing so I thought I’d come help.”

“Oh god you are a lifesaver. Yes please I need all the help I can get. My dad was supposed to help me but he got stuck at work so now I’m doing this alone.”

“Stiles. Breathe. It’s fine. I’m here now and I’ll help. What can I do?”

“Um-SHIT. Oh fuck oh god I forgot to mow the lawn and all the grass is overgrown oh god.”

“Hey Stiles. Don’t worry. I’ll do it. You finish up in here and I’ll mow the lawn.” Derek sent him a small smile before putting down the bottle of whiskey he brought and made his way out to the back shed.

Stiles took a deep breath before getting back to work. After a few minutes he looked out of the window to see Derek pushing the lawnmower across the grass. He muscles were flexing and were on full display in his tank top. It was a beautiful sight and Stiles was having trouble tearing his eyes away from Derek. 

His heart rate must have spiked considerably because Derek had a smirk on his face as he looked towards the window, making eye contact with Stiles. Stiles flailed as he tried to look away, a little embarrassed that he was caught. 

The next couple hours flew by. The house was clean, the lawn was taken care of, and one by one the pack members started to arrive. When John got home he got started on the grill.

Stiles took a well-deserved break, sitting on a deck chair, beer in his hand. He was at peace while he looked around his backyard, watching his pack mates. They’d come so far from the lost group of kids they were at 16 and a lot of that was thanks to Derek. 

Speaking of Derek, Stiles looked to his right to find him coming to sit down next to him. 

“How’s your night? Hope you aren’t already regretting joining the pack again. We’re just as loud and obnoxious as we were when we were teenagers.”

“I can see that,” Derek said, a beautiful smile gracing his face. Stiles had always loved Derek’s smile. It was gorgeous and it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And as if Derek couldn’t get any cuter, when he smiled, these little bunny teeth poked out and Stiles loved it so much. 

The rest of the night went on as well as expected. There was a lot of play fighting, yelling, laughing, eating, drinking, and relaxing. It was nice to have nights like these every once in a while. They were all swamped with exams, studying, and work, that it was nice to unwind like this. 

Stiles figured everyone had left so he started to clean up. He sent his dad to bed early, promising he could handle the clean up. The sheriff had worked a double shift before coming home to entertain a houseful of guests so he was tired. Stiles could see it in his every movement and he needed to give his dad a break. 

Stiles was humming to himself as he took a stack of dishes back into the house when he saw Derek. Derek was standing at his sink, doing the dishes. Surely Derek knew Stiles was behind him but he didn’t say anything. 

“Hey. What are you still doing here?”

“Cleaning up. You don’t have your dad to help you tonight so I wanted to help. You must be exhausted.”

Stiles just walked over to the sink and stood next to Derek, helping him with the dishes. They stood extremely close, shoulders and hips occasionally bumping as they working in sync to wash and dry the dishes. 

The whole time they were there, all Stiles could think about was kissing Derek. It’d be so easy. He was right there and all he had to do was turn his head and lean in a bit and he’d be kissing Derek. He didn’t do it though. 

After they got most of the place cleaned up, Derek got ready to leave. 

“Thanks for having me tonight. I’ll see you around Stiles.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you around.”

After Derek left, Stiles made his way upstairs and promptly passed out the minute his head hit the pillow. 

As the next few weeks went on, Stiles found himself hanging around Derek more. At pack meetings, everyone was paired off in couples, leaving Stiles and Derek to hang out together. Stiles was surprised that it was fairly easy to get Derek to talk now. 

Derek talked about what he did after Mexico. He talked about how he went down to South America to visit Cora and live there for a bit. After that he flew out to London to check in on Jackson and continued his trip in Paris, meeting up with Isaac and Chris. It was those trips that made him decide to go back to Beacon Hills instead of back to South America. 

He missed his pack and no matter how much he hated it in the past, Beacon Hills was his home and it was where he belonged. 

After being back for few weeks though, he knew he made the right choice. He felt at home here and this was where his pack was. And most importantly, Stiles. He wasn’t sure how it happened or when he realized but all of a sudden he woke up one day and realized he was in love with Stiles and that was it. 

He didn’t act on his feelings though. He knew Stiles deserved so much better than him. He had hoped that Stiles had met someone else while he was gone but clearly that didn’t happen. Now that he and Stiles were getting closer, he was rethinking not telling Stiles. 

It was the beginning of summer when the pack decided to take a camping trip. It was a good bonding opportunity as well as a mini vacation. To save space, most of the couples decided to share tents. After they all paired off, it left Stiles and Derek without anyone to share a tent with. They looked at each other, then back to the rest of the pack. 

“Oh. Well would you look at that. Stiles, why don’t you and Derek share a tent? I’m sure neither of you want to sleep in a tent alone for the weekend,” Erica said, a smirk on her face. 

“Y-yeah. Ok we can share a tent,” Stiles said, nervously trying to keep his heart rate down. 

The first day of the camping trip was a success. They went hiking and swam in a small lake, ending the night with s’mores over the campfire. One by one the couples left to go to bed and it eventually left Stiles and Derek out there alone. 

“So um I’m gonna head to bed now,” Stiles said. 

“Yeah ok. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Stiles made his way into the tent, awkwardly maneuvering to change out of his clothes before getting into his sleeping bag. He held his pillow tight, waiting for Derek to come in. He was thankful he was sharing a tent with Derek because he was terrified of the dark and being alone. 

Stiles was slowly starting to get tired when the tent flap was zipped open and Derek climbed in. He let in a gust of cold air behind him, causing Stiles to shiver. 

“Oh sorry. Hold on,” Derek whispered. He took off his sweatshirt and handed it to Stiles. 

Stiles stared up at Derek’s extended arm and at the sweater. 

“Put it on Stiles. You’re cold and I don’t really need it.”

“Yeah uh ok yeah, thanks.” 

No one had ever given Stiles their clothes to wear when he was cold and this left like a weirdly big milestone in whatever relationship was forming between him and Derek. 

He sat up in his sleeping bag, slipping the sweater on before laying back down. Derek got into his sleeping bag too, turning towards Stiles. 

“If you get colder, let me know. I’ll help warm you up,” he said before turning onto his back and snuggling down to get ready to sleep. 

Stiles’ heart started racing. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was definitely a bit of a flirty tone in what Derek just said. He heard Derek huff out some laughter before he turned onto his side, trying to fall asleep. 

Stiles wasn’t sure how it happened but he woke up curled up against Derek. Derek’s arm was slung over his waist and he could feel Derek breathing against the back of his neck. 

It was still early so Stiles tried to fall back asleep, using Derek’s body warmth to help him relax and sleep. He was still too fidgety and was moving around too much. He heard Derek mumble something into his neck, not quite catching what he said. 

Derek lifted his head a little bit before repeating himself. 

“I said, go back to sleep. It’s only 6am and I don’t plan on getting up for another 3 hours.”

“Ok,” Stiles squeaked out. He tried to make his body as still as possible and he was successful because eventually he fell back asleep. 

Derek woke up again to mumbled voices. He cracked one eye open to see the flap of his tent open and the entire pack staring at him and Stiles sleeping, still curled into each other. 

“Go away. We’re sleeping.”

They pack all laughed, a few had knowing looks on their faces. Derek knew he had to do something about his feelings for Stiles. He had a feeling Stiles felt the same way but it was a big conversation they needed to have and a camping trip with the pack in the middle of the woods was definitely not the time or place. 

The rest of the trip was pretty eventful. They went rock climbing, canoeing, hiking again, and visited the caves. In the middle of the big maze of caves was a beautiful waterfall. The pack stripped down to their swimsuits and ran towards the waterfall.  
They splashed around in the water and took turns using their supernatural powers to show off as they dove off a cliff and into the water below them. Stiles was still a bit nervous around water so he chose to sit with all their bags on the big rocks by the waterfall. 

He was busy taking pictures of the nature around him that he didn’t realize Derek had come out of the water and was now standing right next to him. 

“Nice picture.”

The sudden voice startled Stiles and he turned around to find Derek grinning at him, clearly enjoying the fact that he just scared Stiles. 

“So, why aren’t you in the water?”

“Just don’t feel like going in.”

“Stiles, it’s really hot outside today and the water is nice and cold. I know you wish you were in their cooling off. So why aren’t you?”

“Because. It’s because…I’m scared of water. And drowning. And I avoid it. And the only two times I willingly went into water was when people’s lives were at risk.”

Stiles looked ashamed while he confessed this. Derek on the other hand was shocked. 

“Wait. You mean you willingly held me up in a pool for over 2 hours even though you have a fear of water and drowning? Why?”

“You were gonna die if I didn’t go in after you.”

“Yeah but you hated me. You could have let me die. I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

“Well, what can I say? I must have cared about you enough to save you huh.”

Stiles started to walk back over to the big rocks to sit back down and watch the pack. Derek stood next to him, extending his arm out. 

“C’mon. You helped me in the water when I needed it so now I’m helping you. Let’s go.”

“Go where Derek?” 

“In the water. I’ll hold onto you. I won’t let go.”

Stiles hesitated as he placed his hand in Derek’s, standing up to make his way to the water. The words ‘I won’t let you go’ echoed in his mind as he gripped Derek’s hand tighter as they got further and further into the water. 

After a while Stiles started to calm down and enjoy himself. He had to admit, the cold water felt great on such a hot day. He was falling even more in love with Derek and he knew he needed to act on it soon. Clearly Derek cared about him a lot so it was worth a shot to tell him. 

A couple weeks after the camping trip, the pack was having a movie night. They all piled into the loft and made themselves comfortable on Derek’s couches. Derek brought out multiple boxes of pizza before taking the only empty seat, which was right besides Stiles on the smallest couch. 

He enjoyed the feeling of Stiles right up against him. He was a warm and solid weight that Derek could really get used to. 

Derek wasn’t sure why Stiles was so tired that night but halfway through the movie, Stiles had fallen asleep, head on Derek’s shoulder. The movie finished and the pack started to filter out. 

Derek grabbed Stiles’ phone, texting John and letting him know Stiles had fallen asleep and would be spending the night. Derek cleaned up his living room before turning off the lights and carrying Stiles upstairs to his bed. 

He gently laid Stiles’ down, taking off his jeans and sweater before pulling the blanket over him. Derek smiled while he watched Stiles sleep. Stiles had grown up a lot over the years and had turned into a gorgeous young man and Derek had no plans of letting Stiles leave his life anytime soon. 

Later that day after Stiles got home, he called Scott. 

“Scotty. I woke up in Derek’s bed this morning.”

“Whoa Stiles I’m gonna stop you right there. I do not need to hear about this. I’m glad you and Derek sorted it all out but I do not need to hear about your sex life.”

“No Scott but that’s exactly it. There is no ‘me and Derek’. We’re just friends. But then we do these little things like the sharing a tent, and him helping me face my fears and go into the waterfall, and then last night when I fell asleep he texted my dad for me and carried me to bed and it’s like he’s my boyfriend but he isn’t. And oh god I want him to be my boyfriend so badly.”

“Then ask him out. He clearly likes you. Trust me, Derek doesn’t like people in his personal space but when it comes to you, he practically invites you in. And just for the record, I’m glad it’s him. He’s good for you and you’re really good for him. So ask him out. And let me know how it goes!”

Stiles thought about what Scott said. It was true. Derek didn’t really like people being too close to him but he had no problems with Stiles. Maybe there really was something there. 

His dad was working the late shift that night so he was on his own for dinner. He called up Derek, asking if he wanted to come over for tacos. Derek agreed and Stiles was nervous. He knew tonight was the night he had to say something to Derek. 

Derek showed up and dinner was nice. They decided to watch a movie afterwards. They were sitting on the couch, slowly moving closer and closer to each other as the evening went on. Eventually they were pressed up next to each other, hands occasionally brushing up against each other. 

“Derek, can I talk to you about something?”

“Yeah Stiles, what is it?”

“I just- ok. Just please let me finish saying all I need to say because if I don’t get it all out now I won’t ever say it.”

Derek nodded and Stiles started to talk again. 

“Ok. So basically. I’m in love with you. I think I have been since before the whole Mexico incident. But then you were gone but the feelings never really went away. And I don’t know if I’m just imagining all of this or if there’s really something between us but I think there is. And I’m tired of dancing around whatever this is. I want to be with you. I want to hold your hand and kiss you and take you out to dinner and make out in the back of movie theaters with you. I want it all with you Derek.”

Stiles started to shake after he got all of that out. He wasn’t sure what Derek was going to say back and he hadn’t really thought about how he would handle rejection. 

Derek just took Stiles’ face in his hands and leaned in to kiss Stiles. The kiss was soft and sweet. Derek tried to pour in as much emotion into the kiss as he could without turning it into anything more yet. He still wanted to tell Stiles how he felt. 

He pulled back and smiled at Stiles. 

“I love you too. So damn much. And it was killing me to not come back after Mexico. But I needed time to heal and be the guy you deserve. I don’t think I’ll ever be the guy you truly deserve but if you’ll give me the chance, I’ll try to be that guy.”

“Yes oh god so much yes Derek.”

It may have taken them a while to get to this point but it was worth the wait. 

-end

**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr](http://www.dylanlovesthemets.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Sterek Writing Sideblog](http://www.cloudyskiesandcurlyfries.tumblr.com/)


End file.
